A handful of hate-filled white supremacists who gathered for a rally in Boston on Saturday were outnumbered, out-shouted and chased out of town by thousands of counter-demonstrators.

Tensions flared at times as cops were forced to escort the 40-odd protesters from the historic Boston Common around noon as an estimated crowd of 40,000 converged on them, chanting "wrong side of history" and "shame, shame" a week after a gathering of hate groups led to bloodshed in Virginia.

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One of the planned speakers at the "Free Speech Rally" that was cut short in Boston said the event just "fell apart."

"I didn't realize how unplanned of an event it was going to be," Samson Racioppi, a Libertarian candidate for Congress told WCVB-TV. "I really think it was supposed to be a good event by the organizers but it kinda fell apart."

Rallygoers, some clad in Nazi T-shirts and wrapped in American flags, fled the Common's historic Parkman Bandstand with the help of cops who ushered them into waiting police vans as cheers erupted from the swarm of peaceful counter-protesters.

A police source who helped organize the retreat said the white power advocates seemed awed by the massive number of people who came out to oppose them.

Thousands of counter-protesters gathered around Reggie Lewis Center to get ready for "Free Speech Rally" in Boston (Go Nakamura/New York Daily News)

"To tell you the truth, I think they were too stupid to be scared," the source told the Daily News.

A total of 27 arrests were made, mostly for disorderly conduct and a few assaults on police officers, according to Boston Police Commissioner William Evans.

Many of the counter-protesters marched from the Roxbury neighborhood to the downtown park lofting signs critical of President Trump and chanting against bigotry.

They chanted anti-Nazi and anti-fascism slogans, and waved signs that said: "Make Nazis Afraid Again," "Love your neighbor," "Resist fascism" and "Hate never made U.S. great."

A protestor who would only identify himself as Matt said he joined the throngs to let white nationalists know they weren't welcome in Beantown.

Thousands of counter protesters march against the 'Free Speech' rally in Boston

"I came to defend the city against fascism," the 20-year-old Boston native said. "They deserve no respect."

Later in the day, cops faced off with small pockets of anti-fascist protesters who took to the streets.

"#BPD is asking individuals to refrain from throwing urine, bottles and other harmful projectiles at our officers," Boston police tweeted.

The planned "Free Speech" rally had many fearing a repeat of the violent gathering of hate groups in Virginia that ended in bloodshed last weekend.

Organizers of Saturday's midday event tried to publicly distance themselves from the neo-Nazis, white supremacists and Klansmen who sparked violence in Charlottesville. Last weekend, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed at the "Unite the Right" rally, and scores of others were injured, when a neo-Nazi plowed his car into anti-racist protesters.

Organizers stand on the bandstand on Boston Common during a "Free Speech Rally." (Michael Dwyer/AP)

Commissioner Evans added that the day's events went off "as planned," with no one hurt or killed.

Anti-fascist protesters continued to march through the streets into the evening, drawing a large police response.

Hundreds of demonstrators, many clad in black and wearing bandanas over their faces, sat down in intersections and blocked traffic.

Several cops used chemical spray to disperse the crowds.

"They pepper sprayed me," one protester said as she poured milk over her face. "They arrested one of our people and she fought back like any human would. The cops then started spraying the crowd. The police started this, we were marching peacefully."